Alexander Castellanos

For a long time, I saw technology as just a career—a field where I could work on interesting systems, earn a stable income, and eventually "get out" when the job was done. My relationship with my homelab was modular; I focused on solving individual problems without seeing the larger picture. However, as I began my Integrated Systems Intensive, everything changed. I realized that my interest wasn't in just maintaining systems for others, but in becoming the architect behind the products themselves. This shift in mindset led me to embrace the challenge of higher education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I intend to master the intersection of hardware and software.

This journey has already presented me with significant technical hurdles. My most challenging project to date involved implementing persistent GPU passthrough within a multi-node Proxmox cluster. What began as a routine configuration turned into an exhaustive battle with the hardware reset bug and IOMMU group isolation. I spent countless hours debugging kernel errors and hardware-software collisions. This struggle taught me a vital lesson: building enterprise-grade systems isn't just about code—it’s about the raw planning, physical labor, and persistence required to make different technologies work in unison.

This technical grit was actually developed far from my server rack. I learned the value of patience and calm focus on the snowmobile trails, repairing my 1994 Arctic Cat EXT 580. When an engine fails in the cold, panic isn't an option; you have to find the logic in the failure. I’ve carried this "don't panic" mentality into my systems engineering, treating every server crash as a puzzle to be solved with the same systematic focus I use for a physical engine.

My work ethic is also rooted in my cultural heritage from Veracruz and Oaxaca. Watching the perseverance of my family (Castellanos, Cruz, and Portugal) motivates me to build infrastructure that is durable and resilient. This is further reinforced by my interest in urban exploration; documenting the ruins of old industrial sites reminds me that engineering has a lifecycle, and we must design our future systems to withstand the test of time.

As I prepare for the rigors of UW-Madison, my goal is to master semiconductor manufacturing and hardware-software integration. My path has taught me that I am capable of architecting complex systems, and I am ready to transition from a student in a lab to a professional architect shaping the future of technology.